1/4 ton trailer manufactured by Transportation Equipment Co.

Quarter-ton trailer series, Wanted, USED PARTS FOR SALE NO EBAY or COMMERCIAL SALES., and Knowledge Base
Post Reply
User avatar
lowbonnet
G-Brigadier General
G-Brigadier General
Posts: 2173
Joined: Fri Dec 13, 2002 11:56 pm
Location: Holland

1/4 ton trailer manufactured by Transportation Equipment Co.

Post by lowbonnet » Fri May 17, 2019 12:59 am

Here the trailer is finally on its "feet".

Image

Image

Image

Image
June 1942 Ford GPW (script)
Transportation Equipment Co. T1, 1/4 ton trailer


User avatar
W. Winget
LTC, U.S. Army
LTC, U.S. Army
Posts: 4448
Joined: Mon Dec 16, 2002 10:37 am
Location: USA, Virginia, Carrollton
Contact:

Re: 1/4 ton trailer manufactured by Transportation Equipment Co.

Post by W. Winget » Fri May 17, 2019 3:50 am

Very Nicely done!
V/R W Winget
Looking for 1918 Standard B 'Liberty' truck parts

User avatar
Chuck Lutz
Gee Addict
Posts: 26829
Joined: Wed Jun 28, 2006 7:00 am
Location: Jeep Heaven

Re: 1/4 ton trailer manufactured by Transportation Equipment Co.

Post by Chuck Lutz » Fri May 17, 2019 6:52 am

Hmmm....have we tried to get that trailer a reasonable USA Number yet? I will need the answers to the "How To Identify..." sticky at the top of the forum but I think we can come up with something...
Chuck Lutz

GPW 17963 4/24/42 Chester, PA. USA 20113473 (USA est./Tom W.)
Bantam T3-C 1947

User avatar
lowbonnet
G-Brigadier General
G-Brigadier General
Posts: 2173
Joined: Fri Dec 13, 2002 11:56 pm
Location: Holland

Re: 1/4 ton trailer manufactured by Transportation Equipment Co.

Post by lowbonnet » Fri May 17, 2019 11:02 am

I think you have them from me, search for acm 69392

If you don't have it, then I will send you the list.
June 1942 Ford GPW (script)
Transportation Equipment Co. T1, 1/4 ton trailer

User avatar
Chuck Lutz
Gee Addict
Posts: 26829
Joined: Wed Jun 28, 2006 7:00 am
Location: Jeep Heaven

Re: 1/4 ton trailer manufactured by Transportation Equipment Co.

Post by Chuck Lutz » Fri May 17, 2019 1:58 pm

To be a little more positive about the origin of your trailer, can you check to see if the upper shock mounts you reported as "cotter pin" type were not originally THREADED and then drilled out like so many were post-war. The difference being if there are NO threads on the upper it would be a WILLYS and if it was THREADED and then drilled it would be a BANTAM.

Here is where it gets interesting to me; the 229th tag indicates it was rebuilt in Oppama, Japan after WWII. Then it made its way to Europe somehow and at some time after that. The Transportation Equipment tag from the 229th was not the original tag! TE did not even begin to make any of their 221 contracted trailers until 1945 but by then, the ACM numbers in use were well into the 100,000 range. Both Bantam and Willys were using ACM trailers numbered in the 69392 range in August/September of 1943 which would certainly make it available for D-Day!

So...here is the wild card!!! You found a marking for LCT-815 on the trailer. LCT-815 was one of those at Omaha Beach from June 6 to June 26th!

I tried to run down the story of LCT-815 and it was in fact a part of Flotilla 26 during those dates in Normandy! Therefore I would wonder if after the ports in Normandy were secured so that ships delivering things like tanks, etc (Landing Craft, Tank) over the beaches, if it was sent to the Pacific and ended up in Japan.

From their, it MIGHT have seen service in Korea or....It might have become part of the NATO stores stashed in Norway!

However you choose to portray this trailer, it certainly seems to have had a very interesting history based on the "LCT-815" marking and the 229th rebuild tag and that TE data plate that my studies indicate was used at Oppama in lieu of an original!

If you remove that upper shock mount or if you have pics of it to comfirm it is THREADED (Bantam) or smooth and with only the cotter pin (Willys) we can estimate the missing serial number and USA Number...

I'm of the trailer was "obtained" and marked for "LCT-815" by the US Navy and it stayed with LCT-815 during its trip from Normandy to the Pacific. I say that because I do have several Bantams in the 69xxx range in Belgium, France, Netherlands and England. Like wise I have several MBTs in Norway and the Netherlands as well.

You will have the option of making it back into a Bantam or MBT and ignore the LCT-815 marking or...go for that and just give the trailer a once-over of Haze Grey or Ocean Grey and restoring the "LCT-815" marking.

I would love to see a pic of that LCT-815 marking! I think this one will have one of the most interesting histories I've ever run across! It pretty much tells me it was at Omaha Beach in June, 1945 and probably obtained then. I remember my Scoutmaster was a Lt. on an LCT I think and scheduled to drop its cargo of vehicles on Omaha about mid morning on D-Day....the beachmasters closed the beach to all unloading, but the secondary mission of their vessel was to pick up wounded from the beach and return to England or hospital ships.

When told that the beach was closed but casualties were high on the beach, the Captain pulled out further and had the crew start up the engines of those vehicles and deep-six them. When they returned to the beach, the beachmaster allowed them to come in to pick up wounded. Maybe the Captain decided to keep one jeep and that ship was LCT-815?

If anyone ever finds out if John Lord was a crew member of a D-Day landing at Omaha, let me know....I heard that story almost 50 years ago and it stuck with me since then!
Chuck Lutz

GPW 17963 4/24/42 Chester, PA. USA 20113473 (USA est./Tom W.)
Bantam T3-C 1947

User avatar
lowbonnet
G-Brigadier General
G-Brigadier General
Posts: 2173
Joined: Fri Dec 13, 2002 11:56 pm
Location: Holland

Re: 1/4 ton trailer manufactured by Transportation Equipment Co.

Post by lowbonnet » Fri May 17, 2019 11:18 pm

Thanks Chuck, interesting read.

The ACM number always got me puzzled and in fact that it is not an original TE trailer based on that low number. But the nomenclature plate looks much more original than the one of that other TE trailer that has the European numbers stamped on it.
Here is an image of the back before restoration. On the left upper corner I recognice a yellow on blue number that I have seen on another trailer.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image
June 1942 Ford GPW (script)
Transportation Equipment Co. T1, 1/4 ton trailer

User avatar
Chuck Lutz
Gee Addict
Posts: 26829
Joined: Wed Jun 28, 2006 7:00 am
Location: Jeep Heaven

Re: 1/4 ton trailer manufactured by Transportation Equipment Co.

Post by Chuck Lutz » Sat May 18, 2019 6:42 am

…..and the upper shock pins are which type when the shock is removed?
Did you take pics during the restoration that might show the upper shock mounts with no shock mounted?
This is the deciding factor for me since the trailer has been "refurbished" at some point (Oppama) and some things changed/replaced.

The axle and lower shock mount are not enough as so many in my data base also had a mixed up axle type and lower mount type.
Chuck Lutz

GPW 17963 4/24/42 Chester, PA. USA 20113473 (USA est./Tom W.)
Bantam T3-C 1947

User avatar
lowbonnet
G-Brigadier General
G-Brigadier General
Posts: 2173
Joined: Fri Dec 13, 2002 11:56 pm
Location: Holland

Re: 1/4 ton trailer manufactured by Transportation Equipment Co.

Post by lowbonnet » Sat May 18, 2019 11:00 am

I just crawled under the trailer and checked. The upper shock mount is smooth and with only the cotter pin hole. NO traces of threads and it is bolted to the frame with three bolts. Thanks for helping me out with the identification.
June 1942 Ford GPW (script)
Transportation Equipment Co. T1, 1/4 ton trailer

User avatar
Chuck Lutz
Gee Addict
Posts: 26829
Joined: Wed Jun 28, 2006 7:00 am
Location: Jeep Heaven

Re: 1/4 ton trailer manufactured by Transportation Equipment Co.

Post by Chuck Lutz » Sun May 19, 2019 10:32 am

I think a reasonable set of the missing markings would be as follows:

MBT
Serial Number………..39989
DOD...…………………...9/43
USA Number...……...0240178



I think you now have to decide if you want to add the "LCT-815" marking and continue what appears to be the history of this trailer going to England, being attached to LCT-815 at some point during its stay in Normandy from June 6th to the 26th, then going to the Pacific with LCT-815 only to become a rebuild at the OPPAMA, Japan rebuild program....or....ignoring that history and making it a D-Day to May, 1945 jeep with no unit history or markings on it unless you can find them somewhere on the body/tub.

Personally, I'd go with the US Navy LCT-815 as owners and the means by which it got from Normandy in June 1944 to Japan after the surrender.
Chuck Lutz

GPW 17963 4/24/42 Chester, PA. USA 20113473 (USA est./Tom W.)
Bantam T3-C 1947

User avatar
lowbonnet
G-Brigadier General
G-Brigadier General
Posts: 2173
Joined: Fri Dec 13, 2002 11:56 pm
Location: Holland

Re: 1/4 ton trailer manufactured by Transportation Equipment Co.

Post by lowbonnet » Tue Jan 17, 2023 12:14 am

I know Chuck is not amongst us anymore - he recently past away - but thanks to him I got all the missing details for my trailer.

I happen to found a picture of an LCI 815 and LCT 815 - how cool would it be that my trailer was in fact on one of these boats:

Image

and LCT 815: http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/18/1018081401.jpg
June 1942 Ford GPW (script)
Transportation Equipment Co. T1, 1/4 ton trailer

DWesol
SGT/USMC
SGT/USMC
Posts: 473
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 8:22 pm
Location: Milwaukee, WI

Re: 1/4 ton trailer manufactured by Transportation Equipment Co.

Post by DWesol » Sun Apr 30, 2023 1:46 pm

Lowbonnet,
This is a great story. And a great way to remember Chuck Lutz and his contributions to record and preserve history.
Dan
1942 GPW 55791 DOD 8-12-42 USA # 20144366 (Original)
1943 Bantam T 3 21392 DOD 6-21-43 USA # 0270225 (Original)
Midwest Military Vehicle Association - www.MMVA.us
MVPA 28115
www.MVPA.org/Oshkosh


Post Reply

Return to “Trailers 1/4 ton”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 53 guests